Lisbon expels 4 Soviets on charges of spying

August 22, 1980

Lisbon
— Portugal's right-wing government has expelled four Soviet diplomats, accusing them of engaging in wiretapping and obtaining official military secrets. They have five days to leave the country.

Because of the staunchly pro-Moscow stand to the Portuguese Communist Party, the expulsion of the diplomats is bound to have an effect on Portugal's general election campaign in October. The Portuguese party has always been quick to defend the Soviet Union whenever the government has taken an anti-Soviet stand in the last eight months.